In a Pickle

For a listing of food choices, explore your dining options. 

You can also get up to date information via Dining on the Penn State Go app.

LionCash makes your Penn State id+ Card even more convenient! It’s an online, prepaid flexible account that makes on-campus and off-campus purchases safe and easy. LionCash is used to pay for laundry in the residence halls, and can be used in vending machines and copiers across campus. There are over 200 participating merchants both on and off campus who accept LionCash for payment. Students with a Campus Meal Plan who run low on funds can use LionCash to supplement their meal plan - and still receive the same meal plan discounts.

Deposits are simple to make online, and funds are available immediately! Funds carry over year-to-year, until a student is no longer affiliated with the University. 

To learn more and to make a deposit visit:  Penn State id+ Card (idcard.psu.edu)

Yes, Meatless and Vegan options are served daily in all five of the dining commons. Each all-you-care-to-eat area offers a vegan entree, soup, and varying side dishes for each meal. Salad bars also offer vegan proteins such as tofu, beans, and quinoa. For more information, please visit the Allergies & Special Diets page.

Penn State Campus Dining offers multiple resources to ensure students with food allergies and intolerances dine safely on campus.  We encourage students to contact the Registered Dietitians’ Office at [email protected] to make a plan for navigating dining on campus.

Students can check their meal plan balance online at idcard.psu.edu/manage-accounts or in the Transact eAccounts app (downloadable through Google Play or Apple App Store. Available balances are also displayed at Campus Dining registers and on receipts, but understand that the registers display a combined meal plan and LionCASH account balance.

The Campus Meal Plan level can be managed on eLiving under My Info > My Meal Plan through 12:00 p.m. (noon) ET the last day of finals for the spring or fall semester. The system will display whether the student's account is eligible to be increased or decreased.

If funds are running low, friends and family can add dining dollars or LionCASH too.

The Campus Meal Plan provides easy purchasing and savings for students who regularly eat meals on campus. 

The Campus Meal Plan can be accessed via your Penn State id+ Card. Dining dollars will be added to your account; the amount of dining dollars depends upon which level of the Campus Meal Plan account you have selected. When you visit a dining facility operated by Penn State Housing and Food Services, you will present your id+ card to the cashier, who will swipe the card through a reader. The reader will access your account, deduct the proper purchase amount, and display your new account balance. The amount of your purchase depends upon the location and what is purchased. 

The Campus Meal Plan can be used at all on-campus dining options. At University Park there are over 30 eateries on campus, including the Creamery, HUB Dining, Beaver Stadium, and other sports facilities. The “all-you-care-to-eat” dining option in offered in five Residential Dining locations and offers the best value to meal plan members.

Campus Meal Plan members receive a discount on their qualifying purchases. 

The Campus Meal Plan is required for students living on campus, with the exception of those living in on-campus apartments, where it is optional. For students required to purchase a Campus Meal Plan, it must be purchased for each semester and cannot be canceled.

The Commuter Meal Plan is available for on-campus apartment residents and commuting students; it is not required. Students interested in making changes to a Commuter Meal Plan should contact their campus Housing and Food Services Office or for University Park, the id+ Office.

Students who withdraw or end their relationship with the University after the semester has started may be eligible for a refund of remaining dining dollars and, for the Campus Meal Plan, a prorated refund of the base cost, within the timeframe outlined in the HFS Contract Terms, Conditions, and Regulations. Any refund will be credited to the student's LionPATH account or to the credit card used to purchase the meal plan.

The meal plan cannot be transferred or assigned to another individual.

Campus Meal Plan account holders have access to the greatest discounts in on-campus dining:

• 65 percent off cash price at Buffet-to-Go and All-You-Care-to-Eat locations
• 65 percent off cash price on prepared items* at food courts
• 10 percent off campus price on prepared items* at specialty fast casual operations, such as Soup & Garden, Grate Chee, and Blue Burrito in the HUB, Bruno's at Behrend, the Outpost at Harrisburg, and coffee shops at campus locations

The Commuter Meal Plan and LionCash offer a 10 percent discount off cash price on the items and  locations listed above. Additional LionCash discounts may be available at off-campus participating locations.

*prepared items are meals, snacks, and beverages that are made by Campus Dining staff. This excludes menu items at nationally branded restaurants and cafes.

Campus Meal Plan

Dining Dollars remaining at the end of  summer session are carried over to fall semester, and Dining Dollars remaining at the end of fall semester are carried over to spring semester, provided the student has an active Campus Meal Plan for the fall and spring semester, respectfully. Any unused Dining Dollars expire at the end of the spring semester and are not refunded. Students have the ability to manage their Campus Meal Plan through eLiving until the last day of the semester.

Students living on campus are required to purchase a Campus Meal Plan each semester. 

When a student accepts the HFS Contract, the Campus Meal Plan will default to level 2. The Campus Meal Plan level can be managed on eLiving, under "My Info" < My Meal Plan, through the last day of finals for the semester. The system will display whether the student's account is eligible to be increased or decreased.

If dining dollar funds are running low, you can also add funds to LionCash. Current Campus Meal Plan account holders have the benefit of utilizing LionCash funds to backfill your Campus Meal Plan and receive the same discounted rate as the meal plan. Students simply tell the cashier that they have a campus meal plan and the appropriate discount will be applied.

Commuter Meal Plan

Commuter Meal Plan funds carry over from fall to spring regardless of whether a spring commuter meal plan has been purchased.

LionCash

LionCASH never expires and is available until you are no longer registered as a Penn State student.
 

LionCash makes your Penn State id+ Card even more convenient! It’s an online, prepaid flexible account that makes on-campus and off-campus purchases safe and easy. LionCash is used to pay for laundry in the residence halls, and can be used in vending machines and copiers across campus. There are over 200 participating merchants both on and off campus who accept LionCash for payment. Students with a Campus Meal Plan who run low on funds can use LionCash to supplement their meal plan - and still receive the same meal plan discounts.

Deposits are simple to make online, and funds are available immediately! Funds carry over year-to-year, until a student is no longer affiliated with the University. 

To learn more and to make a deposit visit:  Penn State id+ Card (idcard.psu.edu)

Room and board rates are approved by the Board of Trustees in advance of every academic year.

Room and board rates are per student, per semester, and are charged to the student's LionPATH account for payment. Students are charged the corresponding room rate based on their actual room assignment. The Campus Meal Plan (board rate) is comprised of a base fee and dining dollars. 

There are three different meal plan options:

• Campus Meal Plan: required for all students living in University Housing, except for Nittany and White Course Apartments
• Commuter Meal Plan: optional plan for students living in Nittany and White Course Apartments and students living in off-campus housing
• LionCASH: available for all students to use (those with a meal plan should use that instead though)

Campus Meal Plan dining dollars can be used at ALL Campus Dining locations any Penn State Campus*, as well as at popular destinations at University Park such as Beaver Stadium, Bryce Jordan Center, Pegula Ice Arena, and Berkey Creamery.

Commuter Meal Plans can be used at ALL Campus Dining locations any Penn State Campus*.

LionCASH can be used at ALL Campus Dining locations any Penn State Campus* and any participating merchant throughout Pennsylvania.

*Penn State Campuses offering Campus Dining locations:  Abington, Altoona, Beaver, Berks, Behrend, Brandywine, Dubois, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, Harrisburg, Hazleton, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Schuylkill, Scranton, Shenango, University Park, Wilkes-Barre, and York

Penn State Campus Dining offers multiple resources to ensure students with food allergies and intolerances dine safely on campus.  We encourage students to contact the Registered Dietitians’ Office at [email protected] to make a plan for navigating dining on campus.